Last week, he finally clocked the age of ninety. Desmond Mpilo Tutu is an Anglican Cleric and theologian who has attained global fame as an anti-apartheid campaigner and human rights activist in South Africa. He was born on 7 October 1931.
Although the bulk of his work was concentrated in South Africa because of the racial policies of the Boer governments there which institutionalized racial discrimination the country coded as Apartheid, his influence can still be felt all over Africa and the world which finally conferred on him with the most cherished award in the world known as the Nobel Peace prize in Stockholm Sweden.
The world started taking very serious note of him when he was made the Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then moved on in that year to become the Archbishop of Cape Town up to 1996. In both cases he was the first black African to hold the position. This was a clear indication that this was a man even officially sanctioned state law on racial discrimination could not hold down.
In theology, he sought to fuse the ideas he gained from black theology with those of the African theology. Walking a tight rope came naturally to him because he was born from a mixed Xhosa and Mostwana heritage to a poor family in Klerksdrop, in South Africa.
He was lucky to be trained as a teacher as he entered adulthood in a system which deliberately held the black man down the ladder. He was similarly lucky to have married Nomalizo Leah Tutu and they had several children. In 1960, the year Nigeria received independence from Great Britain, he moved to that country where he studied theology at Kings College London.
On his return to Southern Africa in 1966 his career in teaching theology in Botwana, Lesotho and Swaziland. In 1972 he returned to London as the Theological Funds Director for Africa. Eventhough based in London, the mandate of the office enabled him to be on regular tour of the African continent. This has thus enabled him to be knowledgeable about Africa and her problems.
By the time he came back to southern Africa in 1975 and first served as dean of St Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg and then the Bishop of Lesotho from 1978 to 1985 he was sufficiently skilled enough to hold the office of general-secretary of the South
African Council of Churches. All through this period, the racial bigots were in control of power in South Africa and the world was eager to know that there was one man of God who was not afraid of talking truth to power. His name was Bishop Desmond Tutu. He constantly told the National Party, the white man’s party in power then that the Apartheid system of racial segregation was brewing so much anger among the black African population that violence could break out one day and be on such a scale that that it will be out of control. His own approach to Apartheid was to oppose it by non-violent means but he pressed for foreign economic pressure by sanctions against the racist government to bring about change and allow the black-man to vote.
His voice attracted more global attention as the holder of the most senior position in the southern Africa’s Anglican hierarchy. He advocated consensus building which made him a campaigner for female priests and gay rights. In 1986 he enjoyed yet another personality boost on the African continent with his elevation to the position of President, of the All Africa’s Conference of Churches. This gave him yet another opportunity to tour and know Africa the more.
When Nelson Mandela regained freedom in 1990, he became a very close collaborator/advisor of the famous anti-apartheid campaigner on a wide variety of issues. Together, they guided South Africa away from what was feared as the worst ever racial conflagration yet to happen in the world. Globally he shared and still shares South African miracle with nelson Mandela.
In order to ensure that South Africa did not fall into the all tempting tit for tat tactics that were advocated by some when the blacks came to power, he became heavily involved in Nelson Mandela’s strategies to save the country from the impending catastrophe. It explains why immediately after he won the 1994 election and formed a coalition government, Mandela appointed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the human rights abuses committed by both pro and anti-apartheid groups.
In Nigeria we copy things by half. Olusegun Obasanjo was released from prison and thrown on Nigerians as President. I am not sure we carried out enough psychological checks on him to check his mental status before making him President. South Africans carried out such checks before making Mandela President. Once a President, Obasanjo was not interested in reconciliation to make for peace in the overall National Interest. He was only after those who tormented and sent him to prison. He tried to copy the South African example of a Commission on reconciliation. But as the proceedings of Oputa continued, it was clear that he was after revenge and vendetta. When we had that rare opportunity to reconcile with ourselves, Obasanjo threw it away through the window. It was petty.
It is no wonder today that Nigeria still remains a deeply divided and bitter society. South Africa that has a more bitter experience that should have kept the county more divided has taken more sober steps to move forward and today is more united than Nigeria. At the swearing in Obasanjo in 1999, our South African professional colleagues, the journalist who came to cover the event had two things to complain about – corruption and the inability of Nigerians to view issues beyond the ethnic prism. Maybe our situation would have been better if we had a Desmond Tutu.
But where is he?
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.